Importance
by Maiden of the Moon
Summary: What's the point of collecting the jewel? Staying in Fudal Japan? These are the kind of questions Kagome's begining to ask herself. Will Inu-Yasha be able to convince her to stay- and of her importance to the group- and him? (Inu/Kag)


Disclaimer: I feel like I've done enough of these to last me a lifetime. ::sigh:: I do not own Inu-Yasha, or this Backstreet Boys song. Happy?!  
  
Author's Note: During the period of time where ff.net decided that it would make all my chapters look very pretty if they inserted weird symbols every time I tried to put in a quote or an apostrophe, I've written many one shots.  
  
Oh well! ^_^  
  
Anyway, I'm not big into boy bands, but this song really is good. So. . .  
  
Enjoy! ^_~  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome was beginning to understand why Inu-Yasha spent so long up in trees.  
  
Smiling to herself, she leaned her back against the thick, smooth trunk of a cherry blossom tree, watching the tree's pale pink flowers dance off into the baby blue sky. She lightly shut her eyes as she dangled her feet off the edge of the branch.  
  
Subconsciously Kagome began to finger the Shikon Shards in the pouch around her neck.  
  
After Kikyo had stolen the necklace, Kag had reverted back to the small, velvet sack.  
  
Sighing softly, the ebony hared girl glanced down at the fragments.  
  
Seriously, who would have guessed that such little pieces of gem could make such a big deal? Destroy so many lives?  
  
Though the small smile was still on her face, Kagome's mood dropped a few notches.  
  
Sometimes she wasn't sure if she really wanted to do this.  
  
Look for shards, that is.  
  
What would she and her friends do with it after it was completed, anyway?  
  
Wait for someone else to come along and break it again?  
  
It all seemed so pointlessly stupid.  
  
Perhaps she should just go home. . .  
  
Yes.  
  
She should.  
  
Her small smile saddened slightly, but she finally decided she was right.  
  
The time had come for her to leave.  
  
Besides, there was no Inu-Yasha around to stop her-  
  
Might as well snag the opportunity while she had a chance.  
  
She was about to crawl out of the tree when the sudden 'thump' of someone landing in front of her- gently shaking the branch in the process- caused the girl to look up. . .  
  
And find herself staring into twin pools of molten gold-colored eyes.  
  
Inu-Yasha.  
  
*You see me sitting here  
  
A smile upon my face  
  
The time has come but you know that it's not too late*  
  
"The hell you thinking about, bitch?" he growled softly, so close that all Kagome could really see of him were his eyes.  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
"You were gonna go home, weren't you?"  
  
Kagome started. How could he tell?  
  
"Maybe," was her intelligently mumbled reply as she glanced away.  
  
"For how long?" the hanyou sighed, sitting cross-legged in front of her, keeping startlingly perfect balancing on the branch.  
  
The girl became silent, her mind drifting back to her previous thoughts.  
  
"Hello? Are you listening to me, wretch? I said 'for how long'?!"  
  
"I heard you!" Kagome snapped, her gaze suddenly placed coldly upon Inu. "I was thinking!"  
  
"Don't strain yourself."  
  
"Shut up," Kag grumbled, looking away again.  
  
The white hared hanyou frowned.  
  
What was with her scent? There was something wrong. . .  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked slowly, not wanting to make her blow up again- or sound like he cared too much.  
  
"What's the point, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome sighed, her gaze still averted. "Why?"  
  
The boy looked confused.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why bother looking for the shards?" the girl finally cried, looking up at Inu. "What's the point? They'll just be stolen or smashed again! Maybe I should just go home and stay there. You wouldn't mind that, I'm sure. This is all just beginning to seem so damn dumb to me!"  
  
Inu-Yasha would have fallen backwards in shock if it hadn't been for the fact that he would have crashed a good 15 feet to the ground. Catching himself he glared, horrified, at the choked up Kagome- who was busily trying to wipe away tears of frustration.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, you stupid bitch?" he snarled.  
  
But Kagome was surprised to find that it was a different kind of snarl- it was an almost a kind one.  
  
"This isn't pointless- it's important! You're important! There's no way in hell that I'm gonna just sit back and watch you leave!"  
  
*There's been too many things  
  
Together we have seen  
  
It's not that hard if we start to believe  
  
And we're not gonna take anymore  
  
Can we try to erase all the pain  
  
So please-*  
  
"I just don't know anymore, Inu-Yasha," Kagome murmured, wiping another tear from her eye. "I just don't know. . ."  
  
"What don't you know?" the boy asked, his tone becoming calmer and gentler.  
  
"I don't see a reason to staying. I'm important, but only because I can see the shards," she whispered, looking down at the cherry blossom branch. "Besides- like I said- all the shards are just gonna be stolen by Naraku anyway. Why should we bother searching when it's inevitable that we'll lose?"  
  
*Show me a reason  
  
Give me a sign  
  
Tell me the way we, fall out of line  
  
Is it today or  
  
Is it tonight  
  
We'll find-  
  
The answer to our life*  
  
"Kagome," Inu replied evenly, "Naraku will NOT win. We will NOT let him get his disgusting hands on the shards. We WILL defeat him."  
  
"How can you be so sure, Inu-Yasha? This isn't a fairy tale- things don't always turn out happily in the end," Kagome sniffed, looking up at him with tear filled eyes. She moved forward slightly, towards the hanyou, looking for any form of comfort.  
  
*This world is not at ease  
  
We seem to hide the truth  
  
Thinking there's only so much we can really do*  
  
The white hared male held back a blush at how close they had gotten.  
  
"Because everyone is counting on us."  
  
*It's up to you and me  
  
To fix our destiny  
  
The jury's here, so let's take the stand*  
  
"And," the boy added as an after thought, reaching out a hand to gently wipe away the girl's tears, "because we have each other to help us through. . ."  
  
*And we're not gonna take anymore  
  
Can we try to erase all the pain  
  
So please!*  
  
Kagome trembled, and then burst into tears, flinging her arms around Inu.  
  
"But Inu-Yasha," she sobbed, "Why me? Why not Kikyo? Why not Sango, for that matter?! Why me. . ."  
  
He stiffened slightly as her arms wrapped around him, but he slowly relaxed and hugged the girl close.  
  
"Why you what?"  
  
"Why do depend on me so much? Why? Why not your beloved Kikyo? Or Sango, who's so much stronger then me?"  
  
*Show me a reason  
  
Give me a sign!  
  
Tell me the way we, fall out of line! (fall outta line!)  
  
Is it today or  
  
Is it tonight  
  
We'll find- (we will find!)  
  
The answer to our life  
  
So tell me why we have to cry (and not try)  
  
When there's so many things we can do  
  
To help this troubled world start anew!*  
  
Inu pulled the sobbing girl away from him slightly, just enough so he could look into her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?! You're just as strong as Sango!"  
  
"And Kikyo?" Kag whispered, sniveling.  
  
"You're not Kikyo," Inu-Yasha said slowly, after a few minutes of thought, "just the way you're not Sango. Why are you comparing yourself to them? You're you- and that's why I care about you!"  
  
Kagome's watery eyes widened as she looked into Inu's serious amber orbs.  
  
'He means it. . .'  
  
"I don't see why you're questioning yourself like this," the boy continued. "We need to collect the shards to save everyone from that bastard Naraku! After that- well, they can join Kikyo in hell-, but first we need you to find them. And as for whether or not you're important- of course you are, you idiot! You're important when it comes to finding shards, you're important to Shippo as a mother, you're important to Sango and Miroku as friends- and you're important to me!"  
  
"Am I really important to you, Inu-Yasha?" the girl asked softly.  
  
*I need a reason,  
  
I need a sign*  
  
"Of course you are," Inu replied, hugging her close. "Which is why I am- and always will be- here for you."  
  
*There's no turning back,  
  
I'm here by your side!  
  
Is it today or maybe tonight (we'll find)  
  
The answer to our life!*  
  
"Thank you, Inu-Yasha," Kagome whispered into his chest, breathing in deeply to calm herself- and to take in the hanyou's intoxicating scent of wildlife.  
  
"What for?" Inu replied softly, still holding Kag tightly and subconsciously running his fingers through her hair.  
  
"Being there. . . and talking me out of being stupid."  
  
"No problem," Inu-Yasha chuckled softly as he watched a few cherry blossoms float lazily by.  
  
*Show me the way!  
  
Give me a sign!  
  
Tell me the way we fall out of line!  
  
Is it today?  
  
Is it tonight?  
  
The answer to our life!*  
  
Kagome enjoyed the silence for a few more moments until a thought struck her.  
  
"Inu-Yasha?"  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"When you said I was important, you said I was important to you too, right?"  
  
"Yeah. . .?"  
  
"Why am I important to you?" she asked, looking up into his eyes.  
  
She was surprised to see what looked like the bit of a blush quickly cross his face.  
  
*Show me a reason!  
  
Give me a sign!  
  
Tell me the way we, fall out of line!  
  
Is it today or  
  
Is it tonight?  
  
We will find-  
  
The answer to our life!*  
  
"Well. . ." Inu-Yasha cleared his throat, looking away and loosening his hold on Kagome. "You're important to me because. . . because. . . "  
  
"I can see the shards, right?" Kagome filled in, her hopeful feeling disintegrating.  
  
"No! That's not it!" the boy replied quickly, before stumbling again. "It's because. . . because. . . it's because. . . - Oh hell!"  
  
With that, he leaned forward and captured Kagome's lips with his own, saying without words what he was trying to communicate.  
  
*Show me a reason  
  
Give me a sign  
  
Tell me the way we, fall out of line! (We fall out of line!)  
  
Is it today or  
  
Is it tonight  
  
We'll find-*  
  
As the kiss ended, Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha with wide eyes.  
  
"Oh. . . ."  
  
"Yeah," Inu blushed, looking away again.  
  
"I love you."  
  
The hanyou looked down at Kagome in shock.  
  
"Damn! Those were the words I was looking for!" he pouted, frustrated at his bad articulation.  
  
Kag giggled. "I liked your way of communicating it better."  
  
Inu-Yasha smiled softly and rubbed noses gently with Kagome, before capturing her lips once more.  
  
*The answer to our life!*  
  
~*~  
  
There ya go! ^_^  
  
I seriously suggest hearing this song- it's got a great beat and the lyrics are wonderful. It's on Backstreet Boys "Black and Blue" track number six- called "The Answer to Our Life". And no, I'm not suggesting you go out and BUY it- go rent it from the library or something like I did. ^_~  
  
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!  
  
Please R&R!  
  
Ja ne! 


End file.
